Fire and Flood (Fire & Flood, #1)

by Victoria Scott

[Angie]

Rereading! :D

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Imagine a mash-up of The Hunger Games, The Amazing Race, and something with kick ass animal sidekicks and you've got Fire & Flood. I was pulled in from the first page and read this in two sittings. That probably could have been one sitting but I went to bed about three-quarters in. I loved this! It's kind of the typical corporation hosting something awful for an amazing prize, and teenagers entering with hopes of winning and dismantling the whole thing from the inside, but I was hooked and amazed! It felt fresh and new and exciting! Plus there's a huge variety of animal companions that range from cute and fluffy to terrifying and fluffy (and feathery and leathery).

Tella's brother is sick and dying, and there's no available cure. Then a mysterious package arrives with a message for Tella telling her to report to a specific location to compete in the Brimstone Bleed, which if she wins, she'll obtain the cure. Her parents freak out, because they know what's going on, but refuse to tell her (or as we learn later, can't tell her). Tella would do anything for her brother so she takes off, and ends up a bit in over her head. She's now in a race to the death through the jungle with whatever mystery animal lives inside this large egg she's carrying. I read straight through this entire jungle leg of the race and was fascinated! Then they got to the desert, and things got intense pretty fast.

My favorite part of Fire & Flood was of course the Pandoras aka the animal companions. They're lab created animals with special abilities. What looks like a pig or a fox or a lion is really something much, much more. Of course, Tella gets the most badass Pandora despite grabbing the last egg that appeared to be damaged. Her KD-8, which she renames Madox, is adorable in his normal state, but then his supped up state...woah! Needless to say, Tella spends a lot of time worrying about her little companion, since the other contenders have their sights on him.

There's really not a lot I can say about Fire & Flood without giving away any surprises and I'm having trouble expressing my love for it. There are several twists and turns sprinkled throughout, including how this race came to be. Just know that I didn't want to put it down--and for the most part didn't--and was completely hooked and engaged the entire time!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.